Ichor
by Richelieu
Summary: Kara is held captive by the Army, and she doesn't speak English. Lucy saves the day, and speaks Kryptonian.
1. New Day, New Life

Dark blue eyes opened suddenly, scanning the room for any threats. Finding none, the owner sighed to herself before shaking her long shaggy blonde hair out of her face. She took stock of herself before moving on to her surroundings. First off, she was taller than when she had left Krypton. Her hair was longer, reaching almost down to her knees and she had grown up physically, having more to her chest than before. Not a whole lot more, but enough to be noticeable. Her arms were bound in shackles that were attached to chains stretching from wall to wall and there was a light necklace of some sort around her neck. The room was dark with the exception of a dim white glow around the ceiling. There was a metal door, a window that reflected her image back at her, and a single chair that stood a couple of paces in front of her. She could hear a beep from the other side of the door before it swung open and a small group of soldiers walked in. The leader sat down in the chair and regarded her silently.

Her voice was husky as she whispered out in Kryptonian rusty from disuse, _"Rrehd nahn voiehd tahn? Ta nahn khuhp? Rrov nahn rraop?"_ ("What is this place? Where am I? Who are you?")

The leader looked at her appraisingly, "So, you can speak. At least there is that… even if it isn't English. I believe some introductions are in order. My name is General Samuel Lane of the United States Army. You are an alien lifeform that crash landed in the middle of nowhere on the planet Earth. Luckily for you, the United States Government has decided to give you the benefit of the doubt on whether or not you are a hostile being. You have been given the designation Project _Cobalt_ , and been put under my command."

 _"Fah i kao? Khap nahn fah zha chahv. Khap nahn tiv inah nahv tiv zrhythrev Ehl, chao khap nahn zha raogrhys vo rrup. Kryp nahn… non raogrhys zrhaorrahs chao nahgrhahdh i zrhig bem tuv ehl! Ta-si khap bokh rrup, jraogh? Khap zhadif gaolom vo ehwor tov iwahzrham iovis zhgan nahv Rth, chao khap kehp zha sem bem rriv ugem. Khap nahvruht Ehngiuo. Iovis nahn gehd."_ ("Under your command? I am under no one. I am the daughter from the House of El, and I am no asset to you. We are…were a mighty civilization and spread our wisdom to the stars! Why would I follow you, commoner? I never learned to speak the languages that came from Earth, and I have no desire to do so now. I comprehend English. That is it.")

By this point, the woman had grown increasingly infuriated. She was reliving her last few months on Krypton. Her mother sending her Aunt Astra away and refusing to talk about it, her mother and father sending her away from Krypton by herself at the age of thirteen to look after her baby cousin. Kal-El! Had he even made it out of the debris from Krypton's explosion? Was he alive on this planet, unknowing of his heritage? Was he scared? Alone?

 _"Ta nahn te zrhythrevium? Ta nahn Kahl-Ehl?"_ ("Where is my family? Where is Kal-El?") She screamed, voice going hoarse.

General Lane looked incredibly confused while the prisoner was ranting at him. Her voice got steadily louder and louder as she spoke, until finally she was shouting. His men shifted uneasily, raising their weapons to point at the alien. "Look, I don't know what you are saying, so why don't you just calm down, okay?" Sam Lane was not a man to get spooked easily, but this young woman standing in front of him went from calm to full of rage a little too quickly for his liking.

 _"Khap hehp zha ikaogh osh rrup izo rrup kehp zha zrheon bem rrahn Kahl Ehl nahn. Khap sem bem ahvrig zhod bem i kehp. Izo rrup fad, otem nim khap vo duahz."_ ("I have no use for you if you have no assumption on where Kal-El is. I desire to find him on my own. If you strike, there will be me to deal with.") Eyes glowing, she broke her chains and floated a few feet off the ground. _"Khap nahn Kara Zor-Ehl chao khap nahn zha khighi osh rrup bim nahn throniv fis tiv dol chao sidhaol kuhs rraop rem khap kehp zha ikaogh!"_ ("I am Kara Zor-El and I am no animal for you to hide in the dark and cast away when I have no use!")

The soldiers opened fire on her as she finished speaking, but the bullets didn't faze her. General Lane grabbed for his radio, "I need reinforcements in the main Project _Cobalt_ cell ASAP! I repeat, reinforcements needed in the main Project _Cobalt_ cell!" Alarms sounded throughout the base. What felt like seconds later, troops rushed in and aimed at the prisoner, also opening fire on the Kryptonian.

 _Cobalt_ watched as a small woman with wavy shoulder length entered the room briskly, her weapon at the ready in her hands. "Sir, I came as soon as I heard the alarm. What's the situation?" She had a light but confident voice that was soothing to _Cobalt's_ ears over the sound of gunfire.

"Ah, Major Lane. Good of you to show up. Project _Cobalt_ just lost it. We were calmly discussing her stay here at the facility when she started screaming at us, and broke out of her chains. Help my men get her back under control. I think that we are going to have to use some extreme negative punishment to get her back to where she needs to be." He smiled lightly at this. No doubt his daughter would have trouble with the Kryptonian just as he had, and she wouldn't come snooping around his operations after she failed to subdue the beast.

Before she answered her father, she addressed the troops, "Men, stand down." When they hesitated, she put more steel in her voice, "I said, stand down!" She turned back to the General, "I regret to inform you, sir, but I have the authorization to take control of Project _Cobalt_ and transfer her to the Department of Extranormal Operations. I have a copy of the paperwork right here with me, in fact. That's why I'm here. I've been sent to retrieve _Cobalt_." Lucy kept a grimace on her face, but inwardly she was cracking up. Oh yes, she knew exactly what her father was up to. She knew that he wanted a super-soldier on the field. Even though the United States had quite arguably the most powerful military in the world, General Lane wanted to show other countries what would happen if you messed with the U.S. Luckily, once she had told the President what her father was up to, her commander-in-chief signed off on an order to transfer _Cobalt_ to the more lenient D.E.O. _Cobalt_ would be under her command, not her father's. Hopefully, _Cobalt_ would never go back to her father. He could be a sadistic man, and would not hesitate to write off all he ever did as for "the greater good" or some similar bullshit so that he got away with it. She would not, could not, allow him to continue.

"And just who signed off on this order?! This better be good, Major." Lucy could tell that he was furious. Even if he was hiding his fury behind a solemn face, his eyes told the truth, just like they always had.

"President Marsdin, sir. She signed off on it," Lucy's firm mask cracked a little when she saw her father's face fall just ever so slightly. He had honestly thought that he would be able to get away with continuing his experiments without attracting any kind of notice?

He turned to issue orders to his troops, "Men, back to your normal duties." He turned to his daughter with a sneer, "This isn't over, Lucy. I will have control over _Cobalt_ back before you know it."

Lucy's voice turned to ice, "You will never have control over her ever again, father," she spat out the honorific with disgust, "I will fight you on this at every turn. You can count on that." She kept her eyes on his back as he left until he was firmly on the other side of the only metal door in the room. Lucy took out a jamming device given to her by the D.E.O. to temporarily make all nearby surveillance devices stop functioning, before slowly turning towards Project _Cobalt_. The young woman was still floating and her eyes were still an intense, burning blue, but she was closer to the floor than she had been previously. Her head was tilted slightly to the right as she regarded Lucy with a look that closely resembled curiosity.

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed as she murmured, _"Ta-si rrip rriv iovis?"_ ("Why would you do that?")

Now it was Lucy's turn to be confused. Hearing _Cobalt_ speak in Kryptonian had Lucy slipping into the language as well, _"Rriv rrehd?"_ ("Do what?)

 _Cobalt_ was shocked. It had been forever since she had heard another speak her mother tongue, even if the pronunciation could use a little work. The unexpectedness caused her eyes to flicker back to their normal dark blue. She quickly became furious though, eyes instantly back to that burning ice color again. What if this was all some elaborate trick by the horrible elderly man? _"Ta-iv rrip ehwor Kryptahniuo? Rrip nahn nahv Rth, dhugh? Kehgier bem khap rrup rrip ehwor i iwahzrham kav khap chai rrip."_ ("How do you speak Kryptonian? You are from Earth, correct? Convey to me how you speak my language before I kill you.")

Lucy held up her hands as she slowly approached the blonde like one would a wounded animal. In a way, Lucy supposed that _Cobalt_ was quite similar to a wounded and feral beast. She knew that the blonde was Kryptonian, so that meant that she had lost her planet. She may have even witnessed Krypton's demise. The woman would need an explanation and then proof that she was not lying before she would trust her fully.

She spoke slowly so as not to startle the edgy figure in front of her. "Whoa, slow down there, tiger. I only know a little Kryptonian. Enough to know you threatened me if I didn't come clean. The truth is that my sister is actually married to a Kryptonian." She had almost had _Cobalt's_ face cupped all the way in her hands, but the young woman reared back as if she had been shot. _Cobalt's_ face was enraged, _"Rrip wuz!"_ ("You lie!")

Lucy pushed forwards toward _Cobalt_ again, shaking her head, "No. No lies. He crash-landed here about 35 years ago. His adopted Earth name is Clark Kent, and his Kryptonian name is Kal-El. He told me that I should be on the lookout for you, even if he neglected to tell me your name. When your file came across my desk, it was already heavily redacted, and I just knew that my father was up to no good."

This time, she was able to get close enough to have her hands fully cupping _Cobalt's_ face, "So I called in a few favors from people that owed me big time. I got your information, called in a few more favors and got a meeting with the President. She agreed that it was time to stop this before it got too far out of hand. My only regret is that it took so long to find you. It has been about ten years since you landed on Earth, and that whole time you were in a coma, being transferred from base to base, always on the move. And then today you finally woke up. It's almost like you knew I was coming for you…" Lucy trailed off, thoughts distracting her.

 _Cobalt_ opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly, the door banged open. _Cobalt's_ eyes shot off a beam of heat that just missed the nervous soldier in the doorway and her arms quickly wrapped around Lucy's midsection, pulling her close to _Cobalt's_ chest. Lucy was quick to gently shush the tall blonde, petting her arms and stroking her hair to keep her calm. Without turning, she addressed the private who was now standing just outside the door, "What is it?" She kept her voice calm, sure that if her voice had even the slightest waver, _Cobalt_ would be on edge again.

The private stuttered out a reply, "Ma'am, the General has requested that you quickly and quietly leave the premises and take _Cobalt_ with you. He asks that you be gone in less than ten minutes."

Lucy hummed, preoccupied with keeping the blonde calm, "Alright, private. You are dismissed." She heard him breath out a sigh of relief at having avoided any kind of a verbal lashing before he ran off in the opposite direction.

By the time that the blonde was fully relaxed and pliant in Lucy's arms, five minutes had already elapsed, so they hurried out of the compound to where Lucy's transport was waiting for her. The blonde looked at the car, trying to figure out what exactly it was. A chuckle reverberated through Lucy's throat as she ushered _Cobalt_ into the back seat and pulled herself in to sit next to her. She stiffened again, however, when Lucy reached out to tuck a stray lock of golden hair behind her ear.

"Shh, _Cobalt_ , shh." Lucy pulled the other girl gently into her lap, making sure to give her as much comfort as was possible through touch. _"Urvish fah. Rrip nahn voi ugem."_ ("Calm down. You are safe now.") She inclined her head towards the driver, "Agent Sumner, take us to the airport please." The driver nodded once and the car pulled out of the base, heading towards the nearest airstrip so they could board the private jet back to National City. _Cobalt's_ face was nuzzled into Lucy's neck, so when her next words came out a bit muffled, Lucy had to strain her ears to hear them, even at such a close range. _"Nahn voiehd vrroshokh? Nahn khap dhehraogh? Nahn khap frig? Ah zhind?"_ ("Is this reality? Am I dead? Am I confused? A dream?")

Lucy's eyes narrowed slightly, trying to understand how Cobalt could think that. Realization hit her suddenly. Of course, she would think she was dead or dreaming. She had just woken up from a coma in a hostile environment, had guns pointed at her, been fired upon (even if the bullets couldn't penetrate her skin), and had someone save her from future experiments done against her will. It all must seem very surreal. _"Zhi, Cobalt, voiehd nahn i jor vrroshokh. Zha dhehraoghehd, zha zhind. Kehp shahrrehth."_ ("Yes, _Cobalt_ , this is your new reality. No death, no dreams. Have hope.")


	2. Meetings

It was daytime when they finally reached the building that housed the D.E.O. headquarters. Lucy gently pulled a reluctant Cobalt out of the car that they had ridden in from the airport. _"Ta-nahn rrip krym khap?"_ ("Where are you leading me?") Cobalt's voice was small, bordering on distrust. Lucy put her hand on the back of the blonde's neck, bringing their foreheads to touch, _"Rriv rrip shahr khap, Cobalt?"_ ("Do you trust me, _Cobalt_?")

The Kryptonian muttered, _"Khap shahr rrip, Saoviz Chahv."_ ("I trust you, Odd One.") She looked up at the massive building in trepidation. It had been years since she had seen any piece of architecture of this scale. She was snapped out of her reverie by a gentle voice, _"Zhgam, khap-si pahskil rrip rrehd ehrosh nim mish krep."_ ("Come, I would show you what life is ahead us.") Lucy took the blonde's hand, and walked side-by-side with her into the building. She had to hold the nervous taller woman when the elevator ascended, and when the elevator finally dinged for the correct floor, _Cobalt_ startled and looked for the threat. Lucy chuckled and led her into the main area. Director Hank Henshaw aka J'onn J'onzz and Alex Danvers stood awaiting her at the circular situation table that was surrounded by agents at desks. Hank scowled at Lucy, "You're late, Agent Lane. And who is this? You know that nobody is supposed to know about the D.E.O." _Cobalt_ really didn't like his tone towards her rescuer. Her eyes burned as she directed a glare at the man.

Alex moved her hand to her holstered gun, "Lane, do something!" Lucy turned to the Kryptonian, _"Zha, Cobalt. Gehd nahn voi."_ ("No, _Cobalt_. It is all right.") She put a calming hand on the blonde's shoulder. _Cobalt_ nodded, her eyes cooling again to their dark blue. She turned back to the Director. She indicated the Kryptonian, "This is _Project Cobalt,_ sir."

His dark eyes roved over her, " _This_ is _Project Cobalt_? I thought _Cobalt_ was a weapon. This is clearly a young girl." _Cobalt_ bared her teeth at him. "I retract that statement. This is no girl, this is an unthinking animal." She snarled. _"Khap nahn zha khighi!"_ ("I am no animal!") Lucy rubbed the back of _Cobalt's_ back, "Director, she says…"

Hank rubbed his hands over his face in a universally acknowledged expression of I'm too old for this. "I know what she said, Agent Lane. I know Kryptonian. Not only am I a Martian, but I am also the one who taught you to speak it, remember?" This surprised the irate blonde, _"Rrov? Rrov nahn rraop?"_ ("What? Who are you?") His face softened, "My name is J'onn J'onzz, Young One. Like you, I am one of the last of my kind. I apologize for my anger earlier. It has been...a long day, to say the least. Do you remember any of what happened to you? How you ended up being held by the Army?" _Cobalt_ just shook her head, she only remembered Krypton and waking up, nothing of what happened while she was in the pod or before she woke up the previous day. J'onn sighed, "I thought that might be the case."

Alex looked furtively at _Cobalt_ before leaning in and whispering, "Can't you just read her mind, J'onn? She could be hiding vital information." He turned to her slightly, "No, Alex, I can't. Martians are not able to read the minds of Kryptonians. And even if I could, it is a tremendous sign of disrespect to do so without asking for permission beforehand." _Cobalt_ leaned into Lucy and watched the back and forth conversation.

J'onn turned back to her, " _Cobalt_ , could you possibly tell us your real name if you know it?"

She nodded and opened her mouth to reply when there was a sudden gust of wind from the nearby open window and suddenly a man was standing next to her. He was dressed in a suit of red and blue with her family's crest emblazoned on his chest. He grinned at her, "Kara! How is my favorite cousin doing?"

He went in for a hug until she stepped back and his smile faltered slightly. She edged closer to Lucy before asking her, _"Viokirium, ta-nahn voiehd? Voiehd frig taiium rrov zrheon zhod nahn khuhtiv zrhythrevium?"_ ("Savior, who is this? This confused stranger who assumes he is my kin?") The man looked baffled before continuing on, "Kara, it's me, Kal-El. I've been waiting for you to show up! We have so much to discuss and I want you to meet my friends in the Justice League."

Lucy was pleasantly surprised to learn that _Project Cobalt's_ real name was Kara. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful woman, dirty as she currently was. She was also shocked when Kara called her "Savior," as it showed how much she meant to Kara. However, she was not in the least bit surprised when Kara tensed up. She slowly lifted her hand to the back of the taller woman's neck in an attempt to relieve some of her tension. The blonde growled out, _"Rrup nahn zrhythrevium?"_ ("You are kin?").

Clark nodded slowly, his grin coming back. "Yes, and now that that's out of the way, we can go. Come on!"

Kara's eyes hardened, repeating in a steely voice, _"Rrup nahn zrhythrevium. Rrahn non rrup? Byth Rth ahmzeht. Khap non otem osh byth ahmzeht. Rrup zhadif skulir osh khap. Rrup zhadif voikir khap. Rrup awuhkh khap!"_ (You are kin. Where were you? Ten Earth years. I was right here for ten years. You never looked for me. You never saved me. You abandoned me!") With each sentence spoken, Kara's voice steadily increased in volume until she was yelling at the physically older Kryptonian.

For not the first time since he arrived, Clark was astounded at the rapidity with which the Kryptonian words were flung at him, only catching every other word or so. He looked to Lucy for help deciphering what Kara had said, "She basically said that you left her alone and never looked for her the ten years that she's been on Earth." He turned back to his cousin in hopes of placating her, to tell her that they had looked for her. His friends in the Justice League had helped him look in all the obvious places, namely Lex Luthor's secret labs. When he looked back at her though, he was met with a fist flying backwards towards his face, the force powerful enough to send him soaring through the open window behind him.

He flew back in, ready to face whatever escaped alien threat had hit him. He was greeted, however, with Kara standing in a slight crouch, eyes aglow, fists raised and hair billowing behind her. Lucy was standing next to her, whispering into the blonde's ear to calm her down. He tried to approach Kara only to be stopped by Hank, "Superman, whatever you were trying to accomplish has obviously failed and your presence is only serving to rile her up. Maybe you should come back at a later time when everything has had a chance to calm down?" Clark nodded, simply stunned that his own cousin, his only family from Krypton would lash out at him. He was only trying to help! He looked at Kara, "I'm going to leave, but I'll be back later, okay?" He got no answer and turned to leave, "I'll...I'll see you all later."

Once she was sure that Clark wasn't coming back, Kara turned into the embrace offered by Lucy and burrowed her face into the shorter woman's neck. Lucy's grip on Kara tightened when she saw armed D.E.O. agents enter the room and raise their weapons to Kara. "Hank, what's going on?"

Hank shook his head, "I'm sorry to have to do this, Agent Lane, but _Project Cobalt_ just attacked Superman. Those are grounds to be locked up in solitary confinement, since she is technically government property." He turned to the agents, "Separate the two of them, if you will." The men and women in black tactical gear tried to pry Kara off of Lucy, but the Kryptonian put some space between the agents and herself and Lucy. She put Lucy behind her back protectively while she faced the rest of the department. _"Khap nim zhadif kuhs tiv zhgehv!"_ ("I will never be hidden away from the world!") She grabbed Lucy and edged her way closer to the still open window. She looked at J'onn, _"Tim khap chahvia izo rraop guhlogh vo duahz khap."_ ("Follow me only if you aim to confront me.)

Lucy was shocked to find herself suddenly in the air, and she gripped onto Kara tighter so as not to fall. Not that she thought Kara would drop her, but she just wanted to be sure that she wasn't going to fall. Just as they were flying out the window, she heard the distinctive crack of a gun being fired. Kara let out a grunt and they dropped a few feet in the air before continuing forwards. Kara quickly picked up speed and soon they were past the city limits. After flying for roughly thirty minutes, hey landed roughly on a cold, foggy beach. Kara dropped to her knees, _"Voikirium, khap nahn fad."_ ("Savior, I am hit.") The Kryptonian reached over her shoulder to try and see what exactly had struck her, but she could not reach the spot. Lucy knelt next to the blonde, "Lucy. My name is Lucy." She could see Kara silently mouthing her name, testing how it felt on her tongue. Lucy placed a hand on Kara's back, rubbing gently in a circular motion when the blonde stiffened. She had to move the alien's long thick hair out of the way just to see the wound. Sticking out of Kara's shoulder blade was a tranquilizer dart that glowed a sickly green color. "Hold still for me, Kara." She quickly yanked the kryptonite dart out of the blonde's skin, a trickle of blood quickly slipping out before the small hole closed. Lucy threw the dart as far away as she could to lessen the effects that it was having on Kara. The blonde sighed in relief, feeling some of her lost strength return to her.

They sat there on the beach for who knows how long before Lucy quietly murmured, "They will be coming for us soon, you know. They can track the radiation signature left by the kryptonite. Honestly, that is probably why they shot you in the first place. How is your shoulder? Does it hurt?"

Kara shook her head lightly, _"Zha. Nahkluv osh kulahn."_ ("No. Thank you for asking.") As soon as she had finished speaking, Kara was scrambling to her feet, eyes searing a whitish blue. She looked intently into the fog, tracking something that was too masked by the fog for Lucy to see yet. A voice called out to them from behind the gloom, "What are you doing on this beach? This is private property." Lucy unholstered her sidearm, "Show yourself!"

A man stepped through the fog, "Lucy?" Kara observed the tall man. He had golden locks, bright blue eyes, and a meticulously groomed beard. What struck Kara as odd though was the fact that the man was wearing a strange outfit that seemed to be at least partly covered in a fish scale armor. Lucy sprung to her feet, "Arthur! It's good to see you. But what are you doing here?"

"Well Lucy, this strip of beach right here is my land," he said with a grin. "I saw the two of you land, so I thought I would see what you were doing here. So...what seems to be the problem?"

"Long story short, the D.E.O. wanted to lock Kara here up, so we fled. And now, they are coming after us." Thinking quickly, she asked, "Would you, as King of Atlantis, grant us asylum? Just until we can figure everything out?" Lucy was almost positive he would say yes. The Atlanteans had never really gotten on very well with the surface-dwellers, particularly the United States Government.

"Of course, Lucy. It will upset the Americans to no end, and you know I love to antagonize them so." He turned to the waves, parting them with a wave of his hand. "Come, I will form an air bubble for the two of you until we can get there safely." Lucy draped Kara over her shoulder to support her, before nodding in the man's direction, "Thank you, Arthur. We appreciate it. Truly." The last thing Lucy heard before before the waves closed over them was the sound of helicopters closing in on the gloomy beach.


	3. Citizens

At some point in their journey, Kara had wrapped Lucy in her arms and started to carry her bridal style. Lucy asked why she had done this, to which Kara responded that they were traveling too slow. From afar, they could see the ocean depths illuminated by the city lights of the Atlantean capital. Arthur turned to them, "We are approaching Poseidonis now. Once we get everything sorted out, you will shown to your rooms and then you can relax. Alright?" As they approached the gates to the city, a platoon of soldiers came out to meet them led by a woman in a green skin-tight suit with flowing red hair that billowed slightly as she walked. Kara put Lucy down gently, and the two of them followed Arthur towards the group.

The soldiers saluted the three of them as they passed. Arthur greeted the woman, "Mera, my love, I've brought some guests." Mera looked them up and down before smiling, "Of course, darling. Let's go inside." She took Arthur's hand in her's (a move that Kara quickly copied with Lucy) and waved the two newcomers to follow her and her husband inside the clear dome that surrounded Poseidonis.

They entered the palace and Arthur sat on his throne. Mera sidled up to him asking, "So why do we have guests?" He indicated for Lucy and Kara to sit before speaking, "I haven't actually gotten the full story yet. Lucy, would you care to explain?"

She nodded, before dragging Kara over to the dais to sit, pulling Kara to sit between her legs and threading her hands through the long blonde locks. "Let me start from the beginning… A couple of weeks ago, Kara's cousin Kal-El, also known as Superman, showed up at the Department of Extranormal Operations while I was on duty. He asked me to watch out for Kara here on the metaphorical radar. He said that he and his friends had not been able to find her in any of Lex Luthor's labs. So, I said I would keep an eye out for any information regarding her. And well, I got lucky. I don't know if it was a clerical error made by the Army or not, but somehow Kara's file showed up on my desk. I wasn't able to glean much of course because of heavy redactions to the entire file, but I was able to tell that something had landed on Earth ten years ago, codenamed _Project Cobalt_. The Army was taking special care to keep her on the move every couple of months, moving around the world from base to base."

She paused to take a deep breath, "So I asked a few friends in high places for the information. And when I received it, I was horrified. I wasn't sure if Project Cobalt was Clark's missing cousin, but what was happening was inhumane. Keeping her locked up, even if she was unconscious was _wrong_. I read that they tried to run tests on her, but were unable to break through her skin. They couldn't cut her hair because all of their scissors broke on impact with the strands. I'm sure that if they had access to kryptonite, they would've used it. They would've experimented on her had they had the chance. As I was, the file include vague mentions of starting with emotional and psychological torture as soon as Kara woke up, since physical would do nothing to her. So I called in some big favors and met the President. She quickly gave me control over the project and requested that I take her to the D.E.O. for an evaluation."

"When I arrived at the base, there were alarms going off everywhere. I asked where to find General Lane, my father, and arrived to find Kara awake and soldiers shooting at her to no effect. I informed the General that I had control over the _Project_ and he stormed off. I was able to get her to settle down and we left." She wrapped her arms around the agitated blonde absentmindedly. Arthur had crossed his arms over his chest, "While horrible, I don't see how that would require you to request asylum here."

Lucy nodded, "Yes, I was just getting to that part…When we arrived at the D.E.O., J'onn berated me for being late. Unfortunately, Kara didn't react too well to the way that he said things. While I was calming Kara down, Agent Danvers suggested that J'onn read her mind without her consent. J'onn refused, apologized to Kara for his tone, and asked her name. Suddenly, Clark flew in and greeted her. He introduced himself as her cousin, and she freaked out because he had let her stay in captivity for ten years. She knocked him out the window, and he left. The D.E.O. tried to detain her for attacking Superman. J'onn even stated that they were allowed to do it because Kara is "technically government property." When they tried to separate us, we fled. Kara was shot in the shoulder with a kryptonite dart before we were out of firing distance, and we eventually landed on your beach. That's pretty much it, Arthur."

Arthur was stunned, "So you are now fugitives because Kara was settling a family matter, the government took issue with that, and wanted to lock her up since she is "property" and you don't agree with that. Correct?" When Lucy nodded in the affirmative, the King of Atlantis looked to his wife who commented, "No one should ever be considered property, no matter what their race or species. I think they should stay here, if they want."

Arthur nodded before turning back to his two guests. "Then it is my pleasure and honor to grant the both of you asylum from whatever governments wish you harm. I also wish to extend to the two of you full citizenship and all the rights entitled to a citizen of Atlantis." Lucy exchanged a look with Kara, the two of them having a silent conversation. Lucy twisted back to face Arthur and Mera, "We would like that very much, Arthur. Or should I call you "Your Majesty"?

The blonde monarch laughed, "Oh Lucy. Please don't call me "Your Majesty." I would prefer that the two of you call me Arthur. After all, you are my friends." His wife looked at the two with a blank stare, "You may address _me_ as "Your Majesty." She watching their faces become shocked before breaking her mask with a laugh, "You should see your faces. I'm just joking. Call me Mera."

The former D.E.O. agent and the alien took a moment to shake off their shock before laughing as well, the mood lightening considerably. As the laughter trailed off, Arthur stood and spoke once again, "Let us show you to your suites."

* * *

Hours later, when the lights of Poseidonis had dimmed, Lucy was awoken by a light knocking at her door. She got out of bed to open the door, only to see Kara standing there. The blonde had a slight dejected look on her face and was staring intently at her feet. Lucy pulled her inside, "Can't sleep?" Kara shook her head ever so slightly. Lucy led her to the bed, motioning for her to lie down. Kara slid into the silky soft sheets and opened her arms for Lucy to crawl into. The brunette climbed in and face the door. She felt restless though so she turned to face the blonde. Kara had her eyes closed but Lucy could tell that she was still awake. She brought her hand up to brush some stray locks out of the Kryptonian's face. She felt herself grow tired but continued her ministrations. Just before sleep overtook her, she leaned in to whisper into the blonde's ear, "Sleep well, Kara. We have long days ahead of us." Kara shivered ever so slightly, tightening her grip on the smaller woman before sleep claimed her as well.


	4. Meltdown

Alex was hunched over the command table at the DEO talking with J'onn. "So what are we going to do about _Project Cobalt_ , sir? The trail ends cold on that beach. The dart that we shot _Project Cobalt_ with was laying in the sand, so Agent Lane must have removed it for her. Do you think she was forced?" J'onn turned to give her an odd look, "Why would she have been forced, Agent Danvers?" Alex's face hardened, "She was taken captive, sir. The subject forced Agent Lane to flee with her. Do you think we could track Agent Lane and the fugitive with the device in Agent Lane's watch?" J'onn gave her his full attention, "Agent Danvers, I don't think you quite understand. Lucy went with Kara willingly. I'm sure that if she doesn't want to be found, it will be exceedingly hard to locate her." Alex opened her mouth to argue when a burst of air brushed past her. Her hand moved down to her sidearm, just in case it was _Project Cobalt_ who appeared. But she was disappointed when Superman showed up next to J'onn. "Superman, what are you doing back here so soon?"

"I heard that Kara ran from the DEO. What happened, J'onn." His tone was one of no nonsense. J'onn sighed, bringing his hand up to rub at his brow. "We overreacted, Superman. After Kara assaulted you and you left, we tried to take Kara into custody. For her protection, I assure you," he hurried to finish talking when he saw Clark's face. "She was to be put into solitary confinement since we didn't know what she would do after you left. But as soon as I gave the order, she and Lucy took off. We shot her with a dart to track her movements before she could get too far away. The last location we received was a beach in Maine." Clark stilled, "This dart you mentioned…what was it made out of? There are few substances on Earth that can penetrate a Kryptonian's skin." J'onn's face fell. He had been hoping that Superman would be so focused on his missing cousin that he wouldn't catch that small detail. "It was Kryptonite. Only a small amount! Just enough to trace her using the radioactive signature, I swear." Clark looked like he wanted to throw something, "Seriously, J'onn? You know how I feel about that damned substance! After I left here, I went to the base where she had been held. It wasn't that hard to find after searching the satellite videos. You know what they had stockpiled at the base? Kryptonite. In large amounts, hidden in underground bunkers. They were probably going to use it on her once she had woken up to run experiments on her. Why would you even think that such a move was okay for you to do?"

Alex stepped in, "I gave the order to shoot _Project Cobalt_ , not J'onn. And it was an acceptable response on our part because she is United States Government property. She needs to be controlled since she clearly is incapable of controlling herself." Clark looked at her sharply, "Her _name_ is Kara. And she is not property. She may not be human, but she _does_ have independent thought. She's been locked up in bases for ten years, so do you seriously think that if _you_ lock her up, she won't resent you for it? I will not allow her to go through that again. She is family, a member of the House of El!" He turned to J'onn, "Where is this beach you mentioned before I got here? And don't try to deny that you were discussing it, I _heard_ you." J'onn turned to the wall of monitors, "Agent Vasquez, pull up the last known location of Agent Lane and Kara." The location was quickly brought up on the main monitor and J'onn heard a light hum behind him, "Superman, you know where she is?"

Superman turned to the windows, preparing for takeoff. "I believe I do. Oh and J'onn?" He turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder, "The League isn't happy that you are taking part in all this." He waved his hand to indicate the DEO. "Expect to hear from a Leaguer soon." With that, he took off, heading to the Hall of Justice so that he could teleport onto the Watchtower.

Lucy woke up to long blonde hair in her face and a face nuzzled into her neck. She tried to gently extract herself from the arms wrapped around her, but they tightened the second she moved away. This had been happening regularly ever since Lucy had started letting Kara sleep in her room a few nights ago. Since then the two of them slept more soundly than ever before and it made Lucy wonder again at just how perfect Kara was, that she could offer comfort even when sleeping. She tried again to get up from the bed, this time succeeding before she made her way over to the attached bathroom. When she returned, Kara was no longer asleep, instead sitting at the edge of the bed looking anxious. "Lucy, something is wrong." In the past few days, Lucy had taken it upon herself to teach English to the Kryptonian. To say that Kara was a fast learner was definitely an understatement. She had learned to speak the language fluently in just a few hours, though the words still came out spoken softly and with a low timbre on occasion, her voice gruff from not being used for a decade.

Lucy grabbed some clothes to wear and hurriedly changed, uncaring that Kara was in the same room. Well...not uncaring, but they would come back to that later. "What's wrong, Kara?" She rushed over to the blonde, cupping her face and carding her hands through her hair. The blonde sighed as she calmed somewhat, settling under Lucy's touch. Her eyes opened to find Lucy, "Someone is in the Palace. Someone new. Visiting with Arthur. About us." Lucy sighed and released her hold on the blonde, "Well, let's go find out what it's about." She took Kara's hand and led them out into the hallway, all the while rubbing comforting circles with her thumb. They finally reached the throne room, opened the door, and strolled across the room with unease until they reached Arthur, Mera, and their guest.

The unknown woman turned around, revealing a face that looked like it had been crafted by the gods. Kara watched as the woman gave them a once over and and a smirk appeared briefly before she turned back to the King and Queen of Atlantis. "As I was saying Arthur, I want to take Kara and by extension, Lucy, back with me to Themyscira. They will be safe from the US government there, and it is above the water, so they will not have to worry about air whenever they want to explore. We will train Kara to control her powers so she will be a skilled warrior."

Arthur rubbed at his beard, "While I am inclined to automatically reject your proposal, the idea does have some merit. She will be safe there? You are sure of it?" She nodded, "The only people who know of Themyscira location are those who already know. No one but an Amazon may reveal the location, so you need not worry about any humans interfering." Arthur moved to stand, pacing a few feet in front of his throne, "And what of Clark? Will he come for her?" As soon as Clark's name was mentioned Kara's mind went into overdrive. Her body shook with tremors, and she floated off the ground almost unnoticeably. She heard Arthur and the mystery woman exchange some more words but they were muffled, like cotton was stuffed in her ears. All she could think about was fire and the ground underneath her feet cracking as she relived part of Krypton's demise. Relived her mother rushing her into an escape pod, getting stuck in the Phantom Zone and finally letting sleep take over her. She relived waking up to a dark cell, to a loud harsh man who was used to giving orders, not receiving them. To her savior rescuing her, but quickly being thrown into a new setting. To learning that her family, the only one she had left, had abandoned her. To going to the DEO and hating them for thinking that their puny weapons could contain _her_ , Kara Zor-El, Heir to the House of El!

She was unaware of things happening outside her mind, so when her hair stood on end, she didn't know. Her eyes lit up, slowly at first and then burning in their intensity. She floated off the ground by several feet and screamed, voice going hoarse with emotion. The tears that flowed from her eyes turned to steam from the heat, but she didn't notice. She didn't notice how Lucy grasped at her hand desperately, muttering words of peace to her. She didn't notice when Lucy then turned to Arthur and pleaded for help.

But the weight that crashed into her with the force of a freight train? She definitely noticed that. She turned on her attacker, ready to blast them into oblivion for daring to attack her, but they were stronger than her. Arms quickly wound around her torso, keeping her arms pinned to her side while her face was pushed into a soft but firm neck. Her heat vision went off without any warning, but no damage was done and her attacker was not harmed. A voice finally cleared through the haze of her mind, asking for her, _pleading_ for her to just relax. It was Lucy. When she saw some tension leave Kara, she turned to the blonde's temporary captor, "Diana, it's fine. You can let go now." The arms around Kara loosened and she struggled to get free, but just because the arms had loosened didn't mean that they had let go, so Kara just dropped her head back into the shoulder offered to her. A clear voice chuckled next to her ear, "You _are_ feisty."

With Kara still in her arms, she turned to Arthur, "What do you think now? Do you still believe she will be fine with no training?" He looked at Mera briefly before turning back to Diana, "Fine. You may take them to Themyscira, but no other member of the Justice League must know you have her. That includes her cousin, understand?" She nodded before turning to Lucy, "Miss Lane, are you ready to depart?" The short brunette gave her a glare that actually somewhat frightened her before nodding, "Yes, the day has just started and yet I am exhausted already. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can sleep." They said their goodbyes to Arthur and Mera, thanking them again for their hospitality before turning to leave. As they reached the gates of the city, Diana handed Lucy a re-breather to help her breathe until they could reach the surface and get to her plane. She wrapped an arm around both the blonde and the brunette and propelled them all skyward.


	5. Ascension

The sound of metal clashing filled the arena. Swords crashed against shields and voices harshly yelled battle cries. Kara dodged the sword that swiped at her face, giving her opponent a fierce glare. She swept the feet of her opponent out from under her and pointed her sword at the neck of the downed Amazon. "Yield." A nod was all she received before she stuck out her hand to help up her fallen sister. Her opponent took off her helmet and shook out her hair, "That was a good fight, sister. You get better every time you fight." A throat cleared behind them and Kara whirled to face the voice, "Lucy!" She launched herself at the short brunette. The former DEO agent chuckled, "Hello, Kara. How is your training coming?" The blonde grinned, "Great! I finally beat Artemis here." The tall redhead was in the process of removing her training armor and replied, "Yes, she finally beat me. Given that it usually takes born Amazons _years_ to reach this level of proficiency, I would say that her progress has been quite satisfactory." Lucy nodded, "I'll tell the Princess." With her hand on the small of Kara's back, she led them out of the secluded area where Kara and Artemis had sequestered themselves to fight.

They walked up the hill towards the palace, nodding at the guards as they passed. Lucy took Kara by the hand and led her to one of the many balconies that the palace had, pulling the blonde down to recline with her on one of the chaise lounges. They laid there resting until they heard familiar steps moving in their direction. Diana joined them on the chair, moving so that the other two women reclined against her. She carded one hand through Kara's hair, the other wrapping around Lucy's waist, "How was your day?" Lucy sighed into the crook of her neck, "Long, so far. I went to the library to study the laws of Themyscira, but some of your scholars got into a particularly loud argument, so I left." Diana shook her head, "Lucy, you may remove the books from the library if you wish to go study elsewhere. That way, you won't be disturbed." She looked down at Kara, who had now moved so that her head rested on Diana's chest, "And how was your training, Kara?"

Kara's eyes had been closed as she took comfort from the other two. But when Diana asked her the question, they popped back open and a grin overtook her face, "It was amazing! I beat Artemis for the first time." Lucy piped in, "In fact, she said that her progress was quite satisfactory." Diana smiled down at the blonde, "I'm proud of you, Kara. The focus that you have on your training is enviable. Well done." She leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Kara's head. "I have an audience with the Queen in a few minutes, but afterwards I would like to take the two of you out riding along the beach, if that's alright with you both?" The other two women nodded their assent before bidding the Amazon goodbye. Lucy moved to take the vacant space where Diana had sat, and closed her eyes. Kara nuzzled into her neck and she let the sound of the ocean and the slight breeze on her face lull her to sleep.

Diana walked through the large oak doors that marked the entrance to her mother's study. Queen Hippolyta looked up from the books on her desk, "Ah, daughter. How nice of you to finally grace me with your presence." Diana softly let out a sigh and took the chair opposite of the Amazonian Queen. "Mother. You wanted to see me?" The blonde gave her a blank look, "Yes. How are our...guests?" Diana looked out the window, wishing she could be anywhere but where she was. "They are fine. Lucy is studying our laws, and Kara's training is coming along nicely. She will make a fine warrior." She was about to say more when she was cut off, "Yes, about that. When will they be leaving Themyscira?" Diana got up to walk to the window, "Why would they leave, mother? They sought asylum and it was granted. I see no reason for them to leave us." Hippolyta sighed and took off her reading glasses, "They have no right to be here, Diana. You know this. They are wanted fugitives by the American government and the Justice League is also looking for them. I am going to contact the Justice League tomorrow and give them permission to retrieve the two. They are not Amazons and they do not belong here." Diana whirled to face her mother, "What?! No, you cannot." Hippolyta's face hardened, "I can and I will, Diana. _I_ am the Queen of Themyscira, not you. Know your place." Diana gnashed her teeth with a snarl at the clear dismissal, "This is not over, mother. You can count on that." Hippolyta just waved towards the door, "Go, Diana. Spend time with them before they leave." The raven haired woman burst through the large doors, not caring that she caused a large crack to appear in the wood with the force of her exit.

Kara and Lucy were just mounting their horses when Diana came rushing down the stairs with a relieved smile on her face. "Ah, thank the Gods I found you! I was worried that maybe you had left without me." Kara remained silent while Lucy smiled at the Princess, "We wouldn't do that!" A stable hand led Diana's black charger over to her and she mounted the Friesian with ease. "Come, let us ride." She took off onto the long stretch of beach before either of them could question her on her uncharacteristic behavior. She heard them laughing as they pushed their horses to move faster, trying to catch up to the Amazonian princess. She finally slowed down about a mile from where they had started, the exhilaration burning away all of her remaining tension from the "discussion" she had with her mother. Lucy caught up to her first with Kara almost a full minute behind her. The Kryptonian was wobbly on her horse, only having ridden since she arrived on the island. She led them up a path that was nigh impossible to see from the beach. "I'm taking you to a place that is special to me." The path was only big enough in width for one person, so they went up it single file, Diana in the front and Lucy in the back. Upon reaching the top of the path, Lucy and Kara were amazed to see that Diana's special place was a clearing practically resting on the cliffside. In the middle of the clearing was a large oak tree that had clearly been growing uninterrupted for quite some time. The trunk was four feet in diameter and branches grew thick and wild in all directions. Oddly enough, there was food, clothing, and sleeping bags resting under the tree. Diana hitched her horse to a post and turned to them, "This is my secret place. No one else on the island knows about it. I mostly come here when I need to think or be alone. Other times, though, it's nice to get out of the noise of the city and have a place where I can hear my own thoughts."

Kara nodded thoughtfully, "I can understand that. Everything is always so loud, I wish I had a place like this to call my own. Somewhere where people aren't constantly looking for me." Lucy rubbed at the small of the Kryptonian's back in sympathy before looking at the tall raven-haired woman. "Not to sound ungrateful that you showed us a place that you clearly keep close to your chest, but why bring _us_ here? Places like this are hard to find. I probably wouldn't tell anyone if I had a place like this." Diana looked to Kara as the blonde let out a whimper that was too quiet for Lucy's human ears to pick up. To set the blonde at ease, she sat against the massive trunk and opened her arms for the Kryptonian to climb into. "I fear my mother is up to something concerning the two of you. I'm not sure what it is just yet, but I would like both of you to stay here tonight in case something happens. It would make me feel better knowing that the two of you are safe somewhere that she cannot find you." Kara looked like she was about to argue when Lucy cut her off, "We can take care of ourselves, Diana, but I understand. We'll stay here tonight if it eases your mind." The short brunette walked over to the tree and lowered herself to rest next to Diana. "I see now what the provisions and shelter is for." Diana nodded, "I have to return to the palace tonight but I will be back tomorrow once I know what exactly is going on." That being said, the three of them lightly drifted off under the shade of the large oak tree.

Later that night, Kara was roughly awoken. The first thing she noticed was that Diana was gone, presumably having headed back to the palace sometime earlier. The second thing she noticed was the shouting in the distance. It sounded like the Palace Guard, and the shouting was spreading across the city. It took her a minute to wake up enough to accurately hear what was being said, but finally the words came through clearly. _"THE QUEEN IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"_


	6. Where Lightning Strikes

By the time that Kara and Lucy had reached the palace, they were stopped by the palace guards, who pointed spears at them. "No outsiders." Lucy tried to object, saying that they were friends of Diana. Kara grew impatient of waiting when the guards continued to stop their advances. She grabbed the guards by their tunics and pushed them out of her and Lucy's way. She grabbed the brunette's hand and sped into the palace. Shouting followed them as guards desperately rushed in after them, trying desperately to halt their advances. Kara pushed the brunette behind a pillar before she was surrounded by the palace guard. She growled as she paced in a small circle, "Let. Us. Through." One of the guards jabbed at her with a spear, which grazed her skin. Kara looked down at the laceration, unused to the sight of the blood which dripped down her arm. Her head whipped back to her attackers, hair billowing around her. She leapt at them, throwing punches left and right, all while dodging their attacks. Her mind shut off, any intelligible thoughts gone. She snarled and whirled at the soldier coming at her from behind, using the back of her fist to knock the Amazon clear across the room. The next soldier came at her from the side and she grabbed her throat before lifting them into the air and slamming them into the ground, creating a sizable dent in the marble floor.

Her head was knocked back as a punch was delivered to her jaw. She stumbled back a few steps before launching herself forward into the soldier's midsection. She heard a soft grunt before an elbow came down on her back repeatedly. She knocked the Amazon into a pillar and heard a loud crack. Someone jumped on her back and she was knocked to the floor by the unexpected weight. An arm wrapped around her neck and squeezed. She pushed herself upwards, smashing the woman on her back against the ceiling. The grip didn't lessen, however, and a pair of thighs wrapped themselves around her waist. Kara flipped so that her assailant was below her and then drove them both into the floor. Over the sound of blood rushing through her veins, Kara heard a familiar voice call out to her, "Why are you fighting? Relax and all will be well."

The voice was muffled in the haze of her mind. She could hear it, but not what it was saying. Kara broke away from the woman on her back and stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. The woman was fuzzy as her long black hair waved back and forth in front of her face. Kara pushed herself at her attacker for another attack. "Kara, darling, you can't hurt me. Try as you might, you simply can't. Now is neither the time nor the place to freak out. Save that for when you have a constructive outlet for your anger. Come back to us, darling." Without any conscious thought, her body responded to the voice, body falling limply into Diana's open arms.

She nuzzled into the crook of the Amazon's neck, inhaling the calming scent of the older woman as discreetly as possible. From the slight chuckle vibrating in Diana's neck, though, it appeared she had been caught. "I am sorry for attacking your guards. Once we heard the news, we rushed over. We had to see you, know that you were okay." The blonde turned to survey the mostly destroyed room, "Where is Lucy?" Even though her x-ray vision told her that Lucy was long gone, she still rushed over to the pillar she had stashed her behind for safety. In despair, she looked wildly around the room with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "Where is my savior? She was right here just a minute ago and now she's gone. A hand sternly yet gently gripped her chin, forcing her to look into Diana's face. "Kara, look at me. She can't have gone far and I'm sure she is safe and sound. We will look for her together. After all, Themyscira is not a large island. It will not take us long to find her."

They took to the skies together, searching high and low as they scoured the city for any signs of the brunette. They searched by the arena, the apothecary's shop, the palace, the stables, and the spot where Diana had taken Kara and Lucy. They searched everywhere they could think of, and were about to give up hope when a massive bolt of lightning cracked with a resounding crash on the far side of the island. Kara and Diana exchanged a look before taking off and flying in that direction. The smell of ozone was in the air as they landed in a clearing next to a cave. Kara rushed in alongside Diana, eager to find out what was going on. A minute later, they arrived in a large chamber filled with statues on the walls. "Pride, Envy, Greed, Anger…" For each statue they passed, Kara read the names out loud and let them hang in the air. "Gods above," murmured Diana, "This cave should not be here." They continued their journey through the dimly lit cave until the tunnel widened. A figure stood with their back to them, a white cape and hood obscuring their features. Diana entered into a slight crouch and drew her sword, "Who are you and what are you doing on Themyscira?"

Kara and Diana startled as the figure turned towards them, brown locks framing a familiar face. The woman in red and white spoke with a raspy voice, "You found me… I couldn't figure out where I was and how to get back to the two of you, but you came for me." Kara stepped forward, "Lucy…" She slowly pushed the hood on the brunette's cape back and ran her fingers gently over her savior's face in wonder. "What happened to you? I was worried." Lucy brought her head to rest against the blonde's, "One minute, I was in the room with you and you were in the middle of a fight, and the next thing I know, I'm here in this cave. There was this voice telling me to say a specific word and suddenly I'm like this."

A disembodied voice echoed around the chamber, "What happened, Ms. Lane, is that the previous holder of your title was found unworthy of the great powers we had bestowed upon him. So instead, we give you the title of Shazam and all the powers entailed. These powers are the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of Mercury. When you say the word "Shazam," you will be granted all of these and turn into the champion of the gods. You will be near unbeatable and your might nigh unmatched. Meet the will of the Council of Wizards and you will retain these powers for eternity. Fail us and you will be stripped of your powers like your predecessor." As the voice faded out, the three women were transported out of the cave, which disappeared like it had never been there at all.

Lucy turned to her stunned companions, "So… that just happened." Kara nodded dumbly while Diana rubbed her forehead in confusion, "Oh _Gods_ , do I _hate_ magic sometimes," she looked at Lucy, "So what exactly can you do now?" Lucy grinned, "According to the Knowledge of Solomon: I can fly, throw lightning, bend metal as easily as Kara here, and I'm damn near invulnerable too! Now, I'll be able to keep up with you and Kara, no matter what." She turned to look at the blonde, who was sitting a few feet away on a rock, face in her hands and staring into the ground. With her senses enhanced, Lucy was able to pick up the words that Kara was muttering in Kryptonian, _"I just don't understand."_ She walked over to her partner, and sat cross-legged on the ground, _"What don't you understand, Kara?"_ The blonde looked up at her with a distraught face, _"I was supposed to protect you."_ Lucy opened her mouth to ask what Kara was talking about but the blonde cut her off in a hurry. Apparently, the blonde was going to rant. _"Lucy, I was supposed to protect you. That was my role. I was supposed to be your protector, but now you don't need me to. You are as strong as I am, why would you need me there to protect you? I have no use. What am I supposed to do now? I might as well leave."_

It appeared that the Kryptonian was off in her own little world, staring at everything and nothing at the same time. Lucy glanced over to Diana, who was watching the exchange with veiled interest. She switched into English, so the Amazon would be let in on the conversation. Even if they hadn't had a chance to talk about what was going on between the three of them, she was a part of them now, and she needed to know what was going on in the blonde's head. "She thinks that since I am now super strong and invulnerable that I don't need protection. She thinks that was her role, and now she isn't needed anymore." Comprehension dawned on the Amazon's face and she kneeled next to the other two. She pushed a stray lock behind Kara's ear, talking quietly. "Kara, darling, even if Lucy is now strong enough to defend herself against powerful enemies, she will always need protection from you and I, just as it is for the both of us. If we do not stand together, we will surely fall."

Kara sniffled and wiped her face, "I apologize for getting emotional, _again_. It has been a long day and it isn't even noon yet." They sat in silence for quite some time, before Lucy piped up, "Soooo… I hear there is a new Queen on Paradise Island. You wanna tell us what that's all about?" Diana let out a nervous chuckle, "Ah yes, I had forgotten about that. Mother was assassinated in her sleep last night. We caught the assailant, and my first act as Queen was to execute the traitor immediately. She was clearly insane, spouting off ridiculous nonsense about a coup to overthrow my late mother and how she went to the palace to prevent it. Unfortunately for her, she was found with a bloody knife in her hands, so her story was clearly false. We don't tolerate traitors on Themyscira." She got to her feet and pulled the other to the theirs as well, "Come, let us return to the palace and find the two of you more suitable accommodations. Ones that are more fitting to your new station in the palace."


	7. Audience

Diana slowly walked down the private staircase that was situated just off of the throne room. Her guards had informed her that visitors had come to Themyscira, seeking an audience with her late mother. Voices carried loudly from the throne room, telling Diana that the visitors were Wally West and Ray Terrill, also known respectively as The Flash and The Ray. The voices became hushed but Diana could still hear them plain as day.

"Why are we even here?" This came from Ray, who Diana had only met once when he was inducted into the Justice League.

"We're here because the League asked us to be here. We've had no contact from Diana recently and it's cause for concern. She might not even be here. I mean, she could be out saving people. Either way, Batman hasn't seen her in any satellite images and her mom might know her whereabouts."

There was a pause before Ray spoke up again, "But why does the League need her right now? Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

"Apparently, Superman's cousin showed up and the DEO brought her in but she freaked when she saw Supes. According to him, she bolted when he tried to explain that we've been looking for her. So we're here to ask Diana to help us out." At this, Diana scowled. Clearly, Superman had not been quite truthful when he informed the rest of the League that he had found Kara. He had been forthcoming with her, but she had known that he would try and coddle the girl. He would've kept her from her true potential and oh what a shame that would've been. And so she had looked for the pair, and had noticed footprints leading into the sea. She had gone to Arthur, and everything had gone according to plan. Kara was a fine example of a warrior. Lucy too, especially now that she had powers.

Diana strode through the heavy door and walked over to the dais, her fur cloak brushing against the ground with every step she took. Once seated on the throne, she was flanked by a pair of the Queen's Guard. "Flash, Ray, welcome to Themyscira. How may I be of assistance to you?"

Ray startled, "Where's the Queen?"

The guard on Diana's left bristled, but Diana quickly calmed her down, "I am the Queen. Unfortunately, my mother was the target of an assassination. She passed into the Elysian Fields just the other day. Now, I ask again, how can I help you?"

Flash lowered his mask, "Diana, I am so sorry. I know how close you were to each other." When he only received a nod from the Amazonian, he continued, "The League has been trying to get in contact with you. Superman's cousin was found, but she fled from him when they met. We were wondering if maybe you had seen her or could help us find her before she causes too much destruction."

Diana frowned, "Unfortunately, I cannot. You see, I must take over all of my late mother's duties as Queen. However, if I get the chance, of course I will help look for her. Do you know what she looks like?"

Flash nodded, "Superman told us. She is about six feet tall, with long blonde hair and blue eyes."

Diana mentally rolled her eyes. Of course Superman would only give a description that lacklustre. "Flash, why do you say before she causes too much destruction?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, from what I've heard, she was in captivity for the ten years that she was on Earth and during those ten years she was kept out of the sun, so she's probably had at least one incident so far where she couldn't control her powers. Supes said that his powers had sporadic outbursts when he was a teenager. I haven't heard of any rampages matching what her powers could do, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any."

Diana rubbed her chin in contemplation, "Yes well, if I have a chance to get off the Island, I will keep an eye out for anything weird. Now if you'll excuse me, I have duties to return to, as I'm sure you do too. Safe travels."

Flash opened his mouth as if he had more to say, but Ray put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, "It's best if we get back, Wally." Ray turned his head back towards Diana, "Thank you for the hospitality. We will be sure to inform you if he hear of any updates."

Diana rose from the throne, "See that you do." As she exited the throne room, she could hear them talking on their way out of the palace. Maybe they would reveal some more information that they didn't want to talk about in front of her. She made her way to one of the many balconies and let the cool breeze blow gently across her face when a few words caught her attention. It was Flash again, speaking offhandedly to Ray, "Hey, did you hear about Billy?" Ray must've shaken his head as the next words were, "He said he got stripped of his powers, and that the people who gave them to him originally had found a new, more worthy champion. His words, not mine. It totally sucks. All I hope is that this new champion is a good guy on our side. But who knows? Maybe the new guy will prove to be useless and Billy will get his powers back." Their voices faded away and she knew they were gone.

Her attention was grabbed next by the sound of sheets rustling, signifying that the Young Ones were finally awake. She slowly made her way across the palace, only coming to a stop outside of the wing housing the royal suites. Her guards posted themselves at the end of the hallway, and she bade them farewell. For now, she had news to give to her newest Amazons.


	8. Jealousy

Lucy walked along the corridors of the Palace, looking into rooms as she passed, searching for her friends, though she hoped they may become more in the future. She had woken up alone this morning and the blonde that usually occupied her bed was gone, her spot cold. She made her way out of the palace and into the city streets. Somewhere along the way, a guard had joined her. She didn't need bodyguards anymore now that she had powers, but it soothed Diana's fears, however irrational they may be, so she kept her thoughts to herself and agreed to the escort.

But back to the matter at hand… Diana and Kara were somewhere on this Island and she was going to find them. They wouldn't have left, not without her at least, there was no way. Kara and herself were still fugitives from the United States government, though since their flight from the DEO, they had been bumped up to highly wanted persons of interest. The isolation of Paradise Island was slowly getting to Lucy though. She missed the big city, the fast paced lifestyle. The land of the Amazons was relaxing and beautiful, but she was tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. She wasn't quite sure why her contacts hadn't done anything to get their names off of agency watchlists, but something needed to happen soon or she was going to go crazy.

"My lady, may I ask where we are going?" The sudden voice beside her spoke with a musical voice. Lucy tried not to show her small jump at the unexpected voice. She had grown used to the silence that always accompanied her guard. She lifted her gaze to the taller woman, "We're going to look for Diana." The blonde guard nodded, "I think I may know where she would be. Follow me, if you will." Her escort took the lead, and they slowly made their way from the palace into the city.

Lucy slowed her pace as she and her guard approached the forum. The atmosphere was tense and louder than normal, which was somewhat unusual as the Amazons were generally pretty patient when it came to retrieving their wares from vendors. Lucy was unable to get rid of the unsettling feeling in her gut as her guard drew up to her full height and watched the crowd intently as they moved into the mass of people milling about.

Lucy drew closer to her guard, "I never asked what your name was." She watched as the tall woman shifted slightly to briefly glance at her before returning her gaze to the crowd, "My name is Aella, my lady." Lucy nodded but wasn't sure what else to really say at the moment so she resumed watching the throngs for either Diana or Kara.

At last, they finally made it to the edge of the crowd, continuing on, and the large group they passed moved to the back of her mind. "Aella, where are we going?" Her guard turned and fell in step beside her, "The Princess sometimes goes to a cave further inland, in a deeper part of the jungle. It is not a place that many people go, as large predators roam that part of the island."

Lucy wondered if maybe she should transform into her more durable self, but brushed off the thought as she had Aella was very capable and was equipped to take on any potential threats. If the need arose, though, she had no problems with changing herself to help fend off any would-be attackers.

The noise from the marketplace slowly died out until the only sound came from the underbrush that they tread on and the birds chirping here and there. The two companions journeyed in near silence, only breaking it to point out the tracks of animals.

Lucy was the first to point out the change in sound. She couldn't quite determine what exactly was different until they got closer, when the light gurgle of a stream came into focus. The noise of the water got louder and finally they stopped, having arrived at a cave. Aella took up a position by the mouth of the cave and nodded her head towards the entrance, "I believe you will find the Princess within, my lady."

Lucy gave her a curious look but got no reply from the guard, so she slowly made her way into the dark entrance. She placed a hand on the wall of the cave to guide her and walked for a minute until the tunnel funneled out into a cavern of generous size.

She looked at her surroundings in wonder. There was plant life everywhere. Bioluminescent vines tangled on the ceiling, hanging down in some places and creating a chandelier of soft blue light. A large portion of the space inside the cave was taken up by a pool of crystal clear water fed by a couple of waterfalls. A couple of large rocks rested near the base of the waterfalls and it was there that she saw Kara. The blonde was watching the water intently and nibbling on her thumb. Her long golden hair was damp and hung in strings down her face and back. Lucy inhaled sharply as she took in the blonde's clothing, or lack thereof. She was clad only in a loincloth and a very short shirt that barely covered her chest.

Her gasp must've been what finally captured the Kryptonian's attention because when Lucy finished her perusal of the blonde's muscled body and looked back up, a pair of hooded midnight blue eyes had anchored their attention on her. The blonde looked torn between going to her human and continuing to stare at the rippling water.

Lucy breathed out the taller woman's name and that seemed incentive enough to spur the blonde into action. She lifted up from her spot on the rock and floated over to Lucy, where she promptly sat down at the brunette's feet and resumed her watch of the water. The blonde's knees went to her chin and Kara's face half burrowed into her arms. Neither woman said a word until the water became tense and broke.

The former Army Major held her breath as a figure emerged from the deeper part of the water. Long inky hair that had a blue tint and framed a face literally made by the Gods emerged first followed closely by long expanses of tanned skin and rippling muscle. The tips of her hair tastefully hid her breasts, but the same couldn't be said for her lower body.

Lucy looked down at the alien sitting next to her and saw that the alien seemed to have be having trouble breathing. In all reality, the Kryptonian had stopped any kind of movement and it seemed like the exposed body of the Amazon in front of them had broken the blonde.

A light blush took over Lucy's face before she could hide it. She quickly turned and grabbed a towel before throwing it at Diana's face, "Cover yourself up. You're going to kill Kara."

Concern quickly flashed over the raven haired woman's face, "Kill her?"

Lucy nodded seriously, "Mhm. All of that," she made a vague gesture to Diana's body, "is either going to give her a heart attack or an aneurysm."

The Amazon's face broke into a smirk, "And you?"

"Not at all. I admit I was a bit stunned when I saw exactly what it was the two of you had gotten up to while I was asleep, but you are both adults, even if that's really arguable in Kara's case. You two can get up to whatever you wish." She glanced at Kara out of the corner of her eye. The blonde was staring so intently at Diana's ass that Lucy was worried her heat vision would go off.

Her gaze sharply cut back to Diana, "Hope the two of you enjoy yourselves. I'll be back at the palace." She turned abruptly on her heel as a burning started low in her belly. She reached the entrance quickly, not looking back once as she called out behind her, "Aella, come. We must be getting back to the palace."


	9. Kahndaq

Harsh winds whipped against wavy auburn locks as Lucy stepped out of the mountain cave that, over the past few days, had become her home. She had realized that it would be better for everyone if she left Themiscyra, and so she had. She hoped that things had been smoothed over with the United States Government and she was no longer a fugitive. She would almost certainly be undergoing a court-martial when she returned, considering how she just up and left while being an active member of the armed forces. Although for that to happen, she would have to return to the US in the first place. Currently she was stuck in the middle of nowhere, so it might take a while for her to return to civilization. She pulled her cloak close to her face and took off into the dark sky. Past the edge of the barren mountains emerged green fields bordering a sea that shone in the moonlight as far as she could see, although she was unsure of which one met the lush coast.

She flew straight for a few hours until a city came into view. The massive city rose from the hills in magnificent reds, browns, and greens. She picked up speed, aware that if she slowed even for a second, she would collapse from the exhaustion she had held at bay for the last few days. She was nearing a massive set of gates to the walled city when a roar echoed through the sky accompanied by a resounding boom of rolling thunder.

"SHAZAM!"

Lucy had barely raised her eyes to the sky to find the source of the magic words when her vision was filled with white and a searing pain rushed through her head.

* * *

Some time later…

Awareness slowly came back to her, each sense trickling in from unconsciousness. She stretched to ease the mysterious soreness in her limbs and groaned as she finally registered the cool, smooth caress of satin bed sheets. A breeze flowed into the room from a sheltered balcony and carried on it the barely audible noises of a city that was just now waking up. The aroma of freshly baked bread subtly accompanied the light gust.

Coffee colored eyes flickered open in confusion, taking in the opulent decorations that furnished the room she was relaxing in. As the last traces of sleep departed, she was left wondering where she was and how she had ended up in this lavish bedroom. A frown marred her face as she struggled to remember more than her first name.

Her eyes flew up and she tensed as a door cautiously opened. A head of black hair poked through slowly so as not to startle her. Once the man was sure that she was not going to immediately attack him, he swung the door open and stole confidently into the room, "I am glad to see that you are awake, my starlight. You worried all of us when you collapsed suddenly. How are you feeling?" He walked closer to the bed, sitting gently and laying a hand on the sheet that covered her calf.

Lucy slid out of the bed and held out a hand as if to stop the man from touching her, "Look, I don't know who you are, but you have got the wrong girl."

The tan man slowly rose from the bed and came closer to her, though he tried not to crowd her, "Darling, surely you remember me. I am Adam, your husband. We have been married for years now." At this her head shook and he sighed, "Maybe you took a harder fall than we thought. You need a doctor." Ignoring her protests, he swept her into his arms and carried her from the bedroom.

She struggled in his arms, but every time she moved too suddenly she was overcome by a wave of dizziness. He carried her quickly through a building so lavish that it could only be a palace until they reached a wooden door. Adam kicked the door three times before it opened to reveal a grizzled older man. "Doctor, my wife...she doesn't remember me. I think she hit her head harder than we thought."

The doctor ushered them through the door and into a spotless white room. "Set her down there." He gestured at a table and went about the room collecting various instruments as he moved along. Lucy was too tired to object when Adam grabbed her hand and squeezed in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. She looked at their joined hands and figured that maybe it would be easier to figure out what was going on if she went along with what was happening.

"You said you're my husband...What's happened? Why can't I remember anything?" He angled his face to look at her and raised a hand to stroke along her cheek, "Yes, my love. We have been married for quite some time. We share the same abilities that set us apart from normal people. We are higher than them, stronger than them, and so we protect this great nation from those who would bring us only death and destruction. We have been fighting a war against the Bialyans for the past three years, but they have led raids on our sovereign territory for much longer. Yesterday, we went to stop a Bialyan attack on a village near the border. We fought back to back, but had to split up eventually to keep the villagers safe. You were flying to stop a tank in its tracks when you were shot out of the sky." His face fell, "I wasn't paying attention, otherwise I would've caught you before you hit the ground."

A throat cleared and brought Lucy's attention back to the doctor, "Ahem, yes. All of my instruments tell me that you are fine physically. However, there is no telling how long it could be before your memory comes back. It may be gone forever. It's just a waiting game at this point. I would suggest that the two of you spend as much time together as possible. Maybe something will jog your memory."

Adam nodded, "Thank you, Doctor. I have something to ask you in private, if you don't mind." The doctor nodded his assent and Adam turned back to Lucy, "My love, if you would like to return to our chambers so you can sleep some more, I will have a guard escort you so you don't lose your way."

Lucy nodded and made to leave, but hesitated, "Um Adam, I'd like to talk to you when you are done here." He again caressed her cheek, "Of course, starlight." He watched her leave and once he knew she was out of earshot, he turned back to the doctor. "Sivana. What's the verdict?"

The bald man gave a short nod accompanied by a breathy laugh, "She won't remember anything previous to you meeting her. Not while that amulet hangs around her neck at least."

Adam looked down the corridor where Lucy had disappeared, "And you can assure me that she can neither tell that it is there, nor can she remove it on her own?"

Sivana looked affronted, "What? Of course not! That amulet is one of my greatest creations! It will be impossible for her to even realise that anything unusual is going on what with your magic and my genius intellect!"

Adam made a humming noise, "Good. It will take her some time to realise exactly who she is, but as long as everything continues to go well, you may carry out your little "experiments" as long as they do not get in the way."

"Of course," Sivana gave a deep, slightly mocking bow, "My Lord."


End file.
